


What if I still want to execute him?

by Sweet_Osmanthus



Series: What If... [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Brienne is the Best, Brienne revealed something, Daenerys asked for more reason, Episode Rewrite: S8E2 A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, F/M, Fix-It, Jaime is the stupidest, Jaime told the story, Trial Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 04:49:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21130925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweet_Osmanthus/pseuds/Sweet_Osmanthus
Summary: What if Brienne's guarantee only convinced Sansa? She must come up with something to rescue Jaime, what better than the truth?





	What if I still want to execute him?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aviss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aviss/gifts).

> I gift this to Aviss, thank you for inspired me with your works.  
My first fanfic in English, also my first fanfic post online, all for Braime, I really love them.  
I'm not a native speaker, and bad at proofreading as well as grammar, so if you're confused, never mind, just blame me.  
In S4 in the White Tower, after Brienne read the White Book, I feel like she was shooting daggers toward Jaime thinking ‘you should just tell them, not let them cover your good deeds with this kind of shit’. She knew he mean well, but the way he acted after a doing a good thing is really a disaster. So I want to give her a chance to do this for him.

“What would you do then, Lady Brienne, if I decided to execute him? Yes, he is a fighter even though he has only one hand, however, just like the Lady of Winterfell said, we have good reason to sentence him to death for committed crimes. Tell me, based on what you think it worth vouching for this man?” Daenerys glared at Brienne, violet met sapphire.

“Let’s make it clear, this man saved you, and he saved Lady Stark, indirectly. These are good things, and I’m not going to argue with you about that. My point is, he killed my father, the king, Aerys II, who he should protect with his life. Unfortunately, I can’t see there’s honor in it.” She didn’t try to hide the bitter in her voice.

Brienne bit her lower lip, and took a deep breath. She felt uncertain, not sure what she could tell.

‘It’s Jaime’s story, what can I say? What if he doesn’t want anyone else to know? Should I speak out?’ Brienne held the pommel of Oathkeeper so tight that her knuckles turned white.

She glanced at Jaime, only to catch those emerald eyes, his facial expression steady, showing her with full trust. She was delighted that Jaime had such confidence in her, while it made her more nervous. She did not want to let him down.

‘May I tell them? That you slayed the King for saving innocents. Tell me Jaime, give me some clues what I can speak out loud to defend you…’

However, Daenerys seemed out of patience, “Lady Brienne, do you have anything to say?”

Finally she saw Jaime nodded his head lightly. Just like receiving a permission, Brienne found her confidence again.

“Yes, I do, your grace. I know he killed King Aerys II, and that’s why many people think he is a man without honor, he did break an oath, a sacred vow, however, I have different opinion about that.”

Brienne who could hear people in the hall gasped in shock.

“I was once asked a question by Ser Jaime, he asked me what will I do if my liege command me to… kill my father and stand by while thousands of men, women, and children killed? He asked me, would I have done that.”

For several moments there was no one speak, everyone seemed stunned by such declaration, some faces even paled instantly.

To everyone’s surprise, it was Jaime who broke the silence, “If my memory is serving well, you asked me another question at that time instead answered mine.” He now turned around to face Brienne rather than just turned his head.

Brienne spun toward him fully as well, “Yes, I did.”

“Then? Do you have an answer now?” “I do.” “Bother to tell me? Since I may not live longer.” He said the last sentence with sarcastic tone and serious expression.

Brienne sighed, although she did not think this was the best timing and place to discuss this topic, there seemed no other choice. “I would try my best to reason with him, until it is impossible, I would try to stop him…even if it means to…kill him.” She found it was still difficult for her to make such decision. “But after that I would also tell everyone what he is going to do, and prove it by showing the proof.” The second half was much easier to her.

Brienne scowled and glared at Jaime. She agreed with him that they should choose to protect innocents rather than to obey the mad commands. However, she disapproved that Jaime refused to defend himself due to his pride.

Jaime grinned, ‘You know, I really am proud of you.’ He almost said it. However someone spoke first.

“What do you mean ’what he is going to do’ in this case?” His face pale, his voice quivering. Tyrion casted a look at Daenerys, who had not said a word after hearing this shocking information, before he paid full attention to Jaime and Brienne.

They felt each other tensed with Tyrion’s question. They quickly exchanged sights. ‘Should I tell him?’ ‘I think you should, Jaime. He asked.’

Brienne could tell Jaime was nervous, ‘No one asked him before, even myself, and he certainly has never prepared to talk about this.’

“I’m sorry, Lord Tyrion, but it’s not my story to tell.” ’This should be told by Jaime Lannister, and Jaime Lannister only.’

“What happened then? Jaime?” He spoke in whispers, but sounded demanded. Tyrion looked at his brother with unbelievable, as if this was the first day knowing him.

Jaime did not pay attention to him though, he looked at Brienne and held out his left hand. There were too many emotion in his eyes that Brienne wondered what he really wanted to ask for.

No matter what he wanted, she reached out her right to catch his left, giving it a light squeeze, hoping to give him some strength and support. ‘That’s what I can do to him.’

“If I said something you felt unfamiliar with, or something wrong, never mind, just stop me.”

She nodded solemnly. Then Jaime started answering the question.

“‘Burn them all.’ He said. ‘Burn them in their home, burn them in their beds.’ he told his pyromancer. You asked me what he was going to do? Then this is the answer. He planned to use wildfire to burn the whole city.” He seemed more confident knowing Brienne was there supporting what he was going to do.

“Some of you might think Robert’s Rebellion ended when he sat on the Iron Throne, but in my opinion, the moment Prince Rhaegar died in the Battle of the Trident, the war ended. After Prince Rhaegar died Lannister Army came to King’s Landing first, I begged him to surrender, for I knew my father never chose the losing side. It turned out your father was convinced by Pycelle that ‘the Lannisters have always been true friends of the Crown’, so he opened the gate and my father sacked the city immediately. Then I came to him, again, begging him to surrender. I didn’t get the answer I wanted, what I got was a command to bring him my father’s head, and then he turned to his pyromancer, ordered him to burn the whole city to ground. That’s the moment I decided to kill him. You thought I did this for what? I did it for impact.

“You can say I killed him because I didn’t want to die with a mad man, that much was true, I don’t deny it. But I knew what I was doing, I knew I was saving King’s Landing when all your father wanted to do was _‘burn them all’_.

“I know it sounds unreal, ridiculous even, but since there is no others lived long enough to tell you the story, you would find it hard if you want to prove I was wrong. Besides, since I couldn’t move them without letting people know it was there, let me remind you all, there are still lots of wildfire buried under King’s Landing, and that, could be the proof of my words.”

Jaime stopped for a while, looking at Daenerys, he suddenly pitied her. The shock on her face was an evidence she never thought her father deserved the death.

“Thank you, Lady Brienne.” Jaime said, and released her hand.

“He said the truth. We don’t have much time. You should make the decision, your grace.” Bran’s words not only backed up Jaime’s story, but also drew everyone back to the trial, and it meant Daenerys was forced to make a decision right here and right now.

“You may fight with us.” Daenerys only gave everyone a curt sentence, she raised up from the chair, others in the head table follow her. Grey Warm returned Widow’s Wail to Jaime.

The trial ended.

**Author's Note:**

> In S8E2, we saw Brienne vouched for him, those words should be enough to convince Sansa because Sansa benefitted from it, but to convince Daenerys? I don’t think it would work. The writers probably just wanted to bring out the following talk between Sansa and Daenerys, so let her agree unwillingly.  
There are many ways to prevent Daenerys executed Jaime, in my mind the best is revealing Aerys’ intention (I saw several fics so I know I’m not alone, among them all my favorite one is The Unwilling King written by Aviss), but Jaime was an idiot and refuse to defend himself, so Brienne being the other one who knew the truth, stepped forward to save his life (again) in a roundabout route.


End file.
